€84million Elmina Port commissioned
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the €84-million Elmina Fishing Port rehabilitation and expansion project at Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony on Friday, the President commended the chiefs and the people of Elmina and the various contractors for cooperating to work assiduously to meet various operational requirements.
He said the facility represents a significant milestone in empowering the people through job creation to complement the work of the Takoradi and Tema harbours.
“The Elmina Fishing Port Project represents a significant milestone, and adds to the existing two fishing ports of Tema and Sekondi-Takoradi. We are also on course to complete works on the Jamestown Fishing Port, which would bring the total number of fishing ports in the country to four,” the President disclosed.
He assured the gathering that government remains resolute, and will continue to pursue programmes and initiatives that support the growth of the fish industry.
President Akufo-Addo slammed former President John Mahama for describing the project as a “political gimmick” to play away the people of Elmina and the Central Region at large.
The President stressed that the record completion of the facility was a manifestation of the government’s pledge to invest in the fisheries sector to improve the livelihoods of all players in the sector.
Harbour
Work on the project commenced in August 2020, with the objective to boost tourism and the salt industry, increase accessibility of the port and extend its capacity to improve the fishing industry in Elmina and the Central Region.
The biggest fishing harbour in the region, whose construction was completed in 30-months, has a docking space and deep marine access to ensure the durability and sustainability of the harbour.
The facility comes with marine and civil infrastructure, including a south breakwater of 450 metres in length with cubipods round head and a north breakwater of 160 metres in length tied into the existing sea defense.
It comes with a large basin of 65,000 m2 with dredged depths between three metres to five metres and quay walls of total length of 400 metres, including an 80 metres tourist quay at the Elmina Castle.
The magnificent facility has an administration block, with offices and a viewing deck, a new fish market, a net mending area, auction hall, an ablution facility, toilets, and a Day Care structure for toddlers.
Significant marine and civil works went into the project executed by Bellsea Limited, with the International Marine and Dredging Consultants (IMDC) being the consulting engineers.
Optimism
Touching on the multifaceted investment in the sector, the President was optimistic about increasing the income of fishers, and cutting down post-harvest losses to reduce fish imports in the medium to long term.
He pointed out that the fisheries sector contributes about 11 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 30 per cent of the country’s workforce directly and indirectly. He gave the assurance that other landing beaches strategically positioned along the coastal stretch of Ghana are at various stages of completion.
These, he indicated, include the landing beaches at Mumford, Winneba, Senya Bereku, Gomoa Feteh, in the Central Region, as well as Teshie and James Town in the Greater Accra Region and Keta in the Volta Region.
The President bemoaned the negative impact of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities that are contributing to the decline in fish stocks, and asked them to desist from it to save marine resources.
Unique
On behalf of the array of contractors who executed the projects, the Project Manager for BellSea Limited, Joachim Lebbe, said the structures had been uniquely designed and constructed with the input of the people of Elmina being inculcated accordingly.
“I think this project has been an example of good cooperation between the government, local communities, stakeholders, engineers, and contractors. From design to completion of the execution, a continuous interaction took place between the several stakeholders to ensure the most possible needs could be addressed in the design of the project. Maximum possible new port area was created to also make sufficient space for local entrepreneurs to expand their activities in the future,” he said.
The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan, said the fisheries sector remains a key contributor to the growth of Ghana’s economy, providing food security, poverty alleviation, health, and jobs.
With 70 per cent of the people in the region engaged in fishing and farming, she expressed the hope that the facility would ease the unemployment challenges in the area to improve their livelihoods along the 138 coastlines.
Appreciation
Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, the Omanhene of Edina Traditional Area, expressed gratitude to the government for completing the project on time.
“I wish to propose that this harbour is named ‘Nana Addo Habour’, and we also wish to bestow on you a chieftaincy title ‘Nana Begyedinaman I’ for your support for the community,” the chief stated.
The Omanhene also urged artisanal fishermen to comply with the government’s planned closed season this year. He appealed to the government to regulate the activity of ‘saiko’ to support the livelihoods of fishers.